An Obedient Mind

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I think I was born with an obedient mind.

I would often do what I was told and I rarely question ed the authority or wisdom of the one telling me to do it.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. - Matthew 23:1-4

Today's reading from Matthew's Gospel plays into the logic of my obedient mind, since Jesus is telling his disciples and followers to do just that.  Do what you are told or taught, but don't do what the teachers do.

It sounds like that old expression, "Don't do as I do; do as I say."

But the message is deeper than that.  Jesus has us look at what the authority figures are willing to do themselves to give us an indication of their character.

If you won't do it yourself, but you want me to do it, what does that say about you?

Another way to look at it, and most likely the way we tend to look at it, is what does that say about me?

That's the problem, isn't it?  If I am told that the person giving me instructions is a hypocrite, unwilling to follow his own teaching, am I likely to do as he says?

Surely we are no smarter or more self-centered than the people living at the time of Jesus, so how did they hear what he was saying?

Wouldn't they have felt the same as we do.  No way, Jose!  I'm not doing what they tell me to do!

So, what was Jesus really saying?  Was he cleverly telling them to be disobedient of the hypocrites?

Even this obedient mind would hear the message that way, so I wonder how many would have gone away continuing to listen to their teachers.

That is one of the fascinating things about studying Scripture.  We can find what we want in it and make that Gospel, and we can challenge everything we hear or read and take away what we want.  That is why I reflect on the readings each day.

I look for the many messages I might take from what I read, and I hope and pray that the ones I choose to turn into action are the right ones.

So, here is the challenge for your obedient mind.  Read, share and question what you think you heard.  Do it with others who are as eager as you to understand, and together you might just find a few surprises that set you on the right path.

Oh, and you can always come back and let me know what you find.

More to come...